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Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan (太陽戦隊サンバルカン,Taiyō Sentai San Barukan, translated into English as Solar Squadron Sun Vulcan) is Toei's fifth entry to its Super Sentai series. It was originally broadcast from February 7, 1981-January 30, 1982 and is the only Sentai to serve as a direct sequel to the one prior, Denshi Sentai Denziman. It was Toei’s last series with a Marvel copyright, but again with no Marvel involvement in the production. The theme was air, land, and sea.

Contents

Development

At the time it aired, Denziman was an extremely popular series and Toei was stumped trying to figure out ways to build on it. At first Toei just thought of extending Denziman into a second year ala Gorenger but that didn't work out for whatever reasons. Toei then tried to go for making a sequel and calling the show "Plasaman" (which was basically just going to be the Denzimen with new suits) but that name was trademarked so they finally settled on Sun Vulcan. The Denzimen were originally supposed to appear for a five-episode arc but it was untimely to get everyone back. The closest to a crossover the series had was the two-parter story of The ESPer and Himiko! which featured the Sun Vulcan team defending the lineage of those whose origins were from planet Denzi.

Aside from the Denziman connection, this season is notable for breaking many Sentai traditions and pushing the franchise forwards in many ways. This was the first Sentai to be a three-person team set up to go along the concepts of "air/land/water" to represent the three elements of planet Earth while setting a precedence of a team that is only three members (even though this technically was the only three-man Sentai team with many others starting as three but growing larger). In addition, it was the first (and currently only) Sentai to have an all-male team. This was also the first Sentai to use representation of the team by animals with the members represented by the eagle, shark and a panther. It had the first character who was truly emphasized in using a sword in combat instead of merely a weapon, becoming a set-up for many teams beyond this. It also became notable as the first and only team to permanently replace the "Red" member of the team due to the original actor returning to his full time career thus being written out and replaced by another (while one other team has had a more radical replacement, it was temporary) and it was the first Sentai where the giant robot outsold the transport vehicle cementing it as Sentai's main selling point.

Plot

Sun Vulcan

The threat of the Machine Empire Black Magma causes the EPDS (Earth Peace Defense Squad) to decide to establish the Solar Squadron at a summit. From the EPDS's Air Force, Navy, and Rangers, Commander Arashiyama assembles three specialists to become Sun Vulcan. Harsh training begins. Learning of this, Black Magma attacks the EPDS base but the Sun Vulcan debuts in time to save it. Hell Saturn prays to the Black Solar God and is rewarded with a revived Queen Hedrian now a cyborg with a mechanical heart and a metallic afro. But plot after plot of Black Magma, even with Hedrian's aid, fails. Following the death of 01, Amazon Killer, a Vader, arrives from space, destroying the Sun Vulcan Base. A new Vulcan Base is built.

The original Vul-Eagle, Ryuusuke Oowashi, is replaced by a friend and master of the sword, Takayuki Hiba (who first appeared on episode 23). The team successfully defends the psychic descendant of the Denzi, the nun Himiko, from Black Magma. Shortly after this, Inazuma Ginga shows up. Sun Vulcan devises the New Vulcan Ball but their attacks are no use against Inazuma Ginga until he becomes the gigantic Inazuma Monger. Finally, the trio and their commander go to the North Pole to rescue Arashiyama Misa and succeed not only in doing so (despite a fake Misa to confuse them) but also in defeating the Omnipotent God, the true leader of Black Magma, by feigning surrender and striking when it lowers its guard.

This series has the following quirks that makes it unique among other Sentai Series:

The only one to be a direct sequel to the previous series (Denziman).

The only one where the core team is all-male, though at the time of this series, the three colors of Red, Blue and Yellow were always male whenever used. Because of the massive negative outpouring of a team without a female member, every season starting from Sun Vulcan's successor would have one after this.

The only season where the Rangers have the same given names as the actors playing them.

Sun Vulcan is the first Sentai since Gorenger to use the "V" design on the team's chests. This is appropriate since it is the first "Anniversary" team (i.e. every 5th team). However, at the time it was made, Sun Vulcan was the 3rd Super Sentai series as Gorenger and JAKQ were not considered as Super Sentai until years later, which made the 3 person team ironic.

Ryusuke Oowashi (the original VulEagle) was written off the script because his actor was a singer and had to leave to make a new record.

While the title does not suggest any of the traditional Sentai names, it actually is based on a pun that makes it work: the Japanese pronunciation for "Sun" is "San", which is the same as the Japanese word for "Three"; with this the three-man team of Sentai, the pun works perfectly, akin to the usage of "Go" in Sentai names such as Gorenger, & GoGoFive.